Chapter 58: Demon-Slaying Bureau
Cold Moon Sword Immortal Feng Ning cast a glance at Gao Sheng. For once, his wild guess wasn’t entirely wrong. She did sense a faint, enigmatic presence of soone powerful lurking around Lin Jing. It was likely that soone truly formidable was secretly protecting him.
“The Hua Pavilion Master you ntioned—is it this person?”
From afar, a figure stumbled through the air. City Lord Tang Qinghan imdiately recognized him. “Isn’t that the Hua Pavilion Master?”
Hua Qiandao appeared unconscious, his eyes wide open as if in disbelief. He wasn’t flying under his own power; a small yellow bird carried him by the collar, dragging him to the group.
The bird, clearly not a living creature, vanished into Feng Ning’s sword upon completing its task, revealing itself to be a sword spirit.
“That’s him!” Tang Qinghan confird, glancing at the unconscious Pavilion Master. “But… what happened to him?”
“Probably fainted from rage,” Gao Sheng said gleefully. “Who wouldn’t? Losing a rare Gu King is probably more infuriating than losing a wife to another man. And with his Fire Spirit Body, he’s even more prone to blowing up!”
Now that the true culprit was captured, Lin Jing suggested, “I believe everything is clear now. How about this: I’ll take the Ice Soul Gu to cure my poisoned Senior Brother, while Sword Immortal Feng and Brother Gao take the Gu practitioner for interrogation. Everyone gets what they want—doesn’t that sound fair?”
Gao Sheng brightened at the ntion of credit. “From the mont we t, I knew you were a good person, Brother Lin.”
“Feng Ning, since the matter is resolved, let Brother Lin go save his Senior Brother. Saving lives cos first,” Gao Sheng urged. “As for the Pavilion Master, let handle the interrogation! I actually noticed sothing was off about him the mont I arrived. Didn’t I, City Lord Tang?”
Tang Qinghan wiped his brow nervously. Pure dumb luck. You got the result right, but your reasoning was way off.
Feng Ning gave Gao Sheng a long, critical look. “Very well. I’ll escort him to the Beast Taming Sect myself.”
“City Lord Tang, Gao Sheng, I’ll leave the Gu practitioner to you for questioning,” she added, summoning the sword spirit back.
The little yellow bird chirped as it reappeared, then spoke in a sharp, clear voice: “If you two won’t interrogate him, I’ll do it myself. I love using torture for questioning—9,999 sword strikes, and not one is fatal!”
---
The colossal bronze sword took to the skies once more, now carrying Feng Ning and Lin Jing.
The two stood side by side against the cold wind, both dressed in white. While the sword was fast, Lin Jing found himself missing the warmth of the Heavenfeather Crane’s back. He glanced at Feng Ning, understanding she was "escorting" him primarily to monitor the Ice Soul Gu residing within him.
“Senior, are you going to reveal yourself now?” Feng Ning suddenly asked, directing her words at Lin Jing.
As she spoke, the golden-green glow of the pine cone in Lin Jing’s pocket intensified. Slowly, a figure materialized—a hazy, humanoid silhouette ford entirely of spiritual energy, with no discernible features.
Feng Ning regarded the apparition with respect. “How should I address you, Senior?”
“So call the Demon Pine, others call the Divine Pine. But those nas are from the past. Now, I am his protector. You may call Guardian Pine,” the figure said in a calm yet teasing tone.
“Senior, are you intending for him to host the Ice Soul Gu?” Feng Ning asked, ignoring the playful na.
“Why not? The Demon-Slaying Bureau deals with rare Gu in a similar way, sealing them in trusted hosts to prevent their misuse by the Gu God Sect,” Guardian Pine replied. “I recall a certain Bureau cultivator, Liu Gongzhuo, who carries the Heavenly Fla Gu within his body.”
“That’s true,” Feng Ning admitted. “But he’s only at Qi Refinent stage. Hosting the Ice Soul Gu might put him in grave danger if the Gu God Sect learns about it.”
“No matter. He possesses the Longevity Body and Beast Taming techniques. If he bonds with a fire-elental pet beast carrying a demon king’s bloodline, he can counterbalance the Ice Soul Gu’s power. In fact, even without the Gu, the demonic sects wouldn’t leave him alone. He’s already a natural target. Why not leverage their infighting to weaken their forces?”
“You can let him join the Demon-Slaying Bureau,” Guardian Pine suggested. “That way, the Ice Soul Gu remains under your supervision.”
Lin Jing, standing to the side, felt his frustration bubble over. Are these people even human?
“Longevity Body…” Feng Ning murmured, her surprise evident. She now understood why the Ice Soul Gu had chosen Lin Jing over its preordained preferences.
“My constitution should already be recorded with the Bureau,” Lin Jing said with a wry smile.
“I see…” Feng Ning gave him a thoughtful look. After a pause, her lips curled into a faint smile. “Longevity Body, Ice Soul Gu… This senior is right. Would you like to join the Demon-Slaying Bureau? I could use a teammate.”
Lin Jing rolled his eyes. “Sword Immortal, are you planning to use as bait to lure out demonic cultivators? You’re a Golden Core powerhouse asking a Qi Refinent cultivator to be your teammate—does that make sense?”
Feng Ning cleared her throat, her cool deanor faltering for a mont. “Of course not. I simply admire your talents. You showed remarkable abilities during the Snow Moon City incident.”
She handed Lin Jing a jade token. “This token is rare. With it, you can contact anywhere in the Ancient Celestial Kingdom. Being a sect disciple doesn’t conflict with serving as a Demon-Slaying Bureau operative. Think it over.”
Feng Ning clearly believed Lin Jing was destined to clash with the demonic sects. With the Longevity Body and a rare Gu in his possession, he was practically a walking demonic bait.
Lin Jing accepted the token reluctantly. Joining the Bureau sounded like a death sentence. He’d rather enroll in a quiet academy like Hidden Dragon Academy and study in peace.
“I’m not worried about my low cultivation level—I’m worried about yours. If you were at the Dao-Seeking stage, I’d gladly team up with you, even as a mortal,” Lin Jing quipped.
Feng Ning: ???
From his gourd, the Pine Leaf Mouse perked up, sensing familiarity in Lin Jing’s tone. Why does this sound like sothing he’s always said to ? And now he’s using it on a Sword Immortal?!
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anwhile, Hua Qiandao had been revived and was undergoing brutal interrogation. Under the threat of "9,999 sword strikes," he confessed everything.
As a youth, he’d stumbled upon a cave and inherited the legacy of a deceased Gu Master. The inheritance included information about the Ice Soul Gu’s rebirth, the thod to refine its lesser Gu, and techniques to transform oneself into its ideal host.
Hua Qiandao had painstakingly cultivated a Fire Spirit Body and eliminated all potential rivals. But in the end…
“I refuse to accept this!” he wailed.
“Refuse my !” Tang Qinghan roared, removing his shoe and smacking Hua Qiandao across the face repeatedly. “I vouched for you, and this is how you repay ? My career is ruined!”
“City Lord, take it easy. Don’t kill him,” Gao Sheng chid in, grinning. “This case is a huge success for . My first mission with the Bureau, and I broke a major case. As expected of !”
Tang Qinghan remained silent, knowing full well most of the credit belonged to Lin Jing.
“Of course, Brother Lin deserves recognition. He’s talented. If only he joined the Bureau as my teammate… But I can’t shake the feeling he’s eyeing my dragon-horse. Beast Taming Sect disciples—they don’t chase beauties, but rare beasts? They can’t resist.”
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